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YAWNA - Yet Another Wireless Networking Article
You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as
long as the bylines are included.
Original URL (The Web version of the article)
---------------------------------------------
http://www.defendingthenet.com/NewsLetters/YAWNA–YetAnother
WirelessNetworking
Article.htm
Title
-----
YAWNA - Yet Another Wireless Networking Article
Wireless Network Security
------------------------------------------------------
The consumer-level wireless networking market has exploded
over the past few years. Unfortunately, manufacturers have
been lax in explaining the potential security risks
associated with their products. Typical instructions
bundled with consumer products are geared towards
getting you up and running as quickly as possible.
Only recently has consumer equipment begun shipping with
basic security measures enabled. Unfortunately, this effort
is flawed by the fact that all devices typically ship
with the same default configurations, making the effort
wasted.
Do People Really Care About Wireless Security
--------------------------
While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of articles
currently available on how to secure a wireless home
network, they frequently address only the steps involved,
ignoring the reasoning behind them. Of course the most
obvious reason is to protect the data on your own network.
Believe it or not, many people don’t see this as enough
incentive. One of my own family members (who has an IT
background, no less) once expressed to me that the
security of his network wasn’t of concern because he
knew his individual machines were safe. He was right
with regards to his systems; they were pretty secure.
However, his belief that someone intruding on his network
was there for his stuff was flawed.
Using Your Wireless Network For Fun & Profit
-----------------------------------
Your bandwidth alone is a significant motivator for the less
than scrupulous. Your unsecured wireless network can provide
the ultimate “anonymizer” for illicit activities. You may be
facilitating a glorious “hacker” techno-battle, such as
those portrayed in the movies and television. Perhaps an
international spy needs to transmit secret data back to
her superiors and decides to borrow your network to fulfill
the task. While not likely, you never know.
Little Johnny Wants A New Toy
----------------------------------------------
Here’s a more realistic scenario:
Little Johnny has a stolen credit card number. We don’t know
how he got it, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter
is that Johnny now wants to take advantage of his prize
and knows exactly how. His reward will be one of those
new handheld video games that are flying off the shelves.
Johnny isn’t foolish enough to walk into a store and use
his stolen credit card, he knows a better way. Johnny lives
across the street from you and your unsecured wireless
network
So
here’s what Johnny does. First he configures his computer
to use your wireless network instead of his own, taking an
extra minute to make sure that he spoofs any information
that may uniquely identify his computer. Next, he searches
the web a bit for the perfect online vendor to acquire his
product. He avoids the biggest and the smallest vendors.
The largest vendors tend to be very thorough in credit
card validation as they have solid resources at their
disposal. The smallest vendors are often quite thorough
as well as loss due to fraudulent transactions impacts
them dramatically. He searches for a middle of the road
vendor, one with a reputation for lousy customer service,
in the hopes they won’t bother verifying that the shipping
address is valid for the credit card being used.
Once he locates a suitable vendor he places the order and
has it shipped to your next door neighbor. Why there?
Well, he doesn’t actually know that the wireless network
he is using is yours and doesn’t really
care. What he does know is your next-door neighbor leaves
the house every morning promptly at 7:30 and doesn’t
return until at least 6:00 in the evening.
This leaves opportunity to safely retrieve the “tried to
deliver while you were out” slip that will be left
behind by the parcel delivery driver. The following
morning he will reattach the delivery slip to the door,
with instructions to leave the package on the doorstep.
A few hours later he picks up his package, leaving no
trail leading back to him.
Conclusion
----------
More than likely this single incident will disappear without
further involving you or Johnny. The owner of the credit
card will dispute the charge, and the credit card company
or vendor will end up eating the loss and the story ends.
Of course, there’s always the chance that some motivated
investigator will follow the trail back through your
internet provider and ultimately to you. You may not be
going to jail over it, but you’ll likely be having a few
uncomfortable discussions with some gentlemen wearing
badges.
The fact is this isn’t an original scenario. This type of
scam has been run over and over again and dates back
decades before the internet explosion. It has dozens of
variations and permutations. What is important is that
this time around you have become part of the equation. By
ignorance or by apathy you are in the middle of something
bad that you never imagined could have happened.
About the Author
About The Author
----------------
Erich currently specializes in providing network and
security solutions for small to medium businesses that
frequently have to resolve the conflict of need versus
budget. His commitment to precision and excellence is
eclipsed only by his fascination with gadgets, particularly
ones that are shiny, or that blink, or that beep. If you
would like to contact Erich you can e-mail him at
erich.heintz@gmail.com.
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